Book Tips - Hermann Hesse

The Nobel Prize in Literature 1946 was awarded to Hermann Hesse "for his inspired writings which, while growing in boldness and penetration, exemplify the classical humanitarian ideals and high qualities of style".

Beneath the Wheel (Unterm Rad)

It is a tale of struggle, and being pushed too hard. Almost any one can relate to being pushed too hard at one time or another./Rose, United States

Demian

Deep, powerful, sensual./Sara, Australia

Best book I found to figure out what's important in life, what to look after. And what an amazing style!/Charlotte, France

It provided me with a lot of revolutionary ideas about life and friendship./Sun Yuchen (孫語辰), Taiwan

I like it because everyone can find themselves in this story. It tells about our darkest thoughts and how you can turn them to reality. It is also telling us that in every man exist a dark and a bright side, you just have to decide in what you are going to believe./Kristina, Serbia & Montenegro

The timeless questions that Hesse presents allow the reader to change thought patterns and encourage the reader to take control over one's own destiny. I appreciate the clarity in which he describes the struggle with inner demons and external influences./Gina, United States

I love it, I red it when I was at high school./Deborah, Argentina

Because it represents an epoc of life very special, like the adolescence, very mystical and symbolic./Juana, Spain

Because I grow reading this type of literature. It makes me more mature. It is wonderful./Micaela, Argentina

He is just a great writer. He makes you feel the book. Anyway I read it many times and every time the book becomes more beautiful./Lukas, Netherlands

The original style of Hesse. It's a very passionate story. Hesse is for me an authentic writer and one example of life./Alejandro Perez Lopez, Mexico

Gertrud and I (Gertrud)

It is simple but profound. It is a short book about deeper truths encouraging us to be brave - no matter what. These are among my favorite thoughts discovered in the book: We cannot evade life's course, but we can school ourselves to be superior to fortune and also to look unflinchingly upon the most painful things. ... We can be stronger than nature and fate, if only for a few hours. And we can draw close to one another in times of need, understand and love one another, and live to comfort each other. Hesse creates a very credible character who, through a tale of music, love and loss, shows us why the heavy paradoxes of life should make us stick to our very best version./Monica Araya, United Kingdom

Journey to the East

In this book, he strongly, introduce us (me) the new theory on FAITH./Soundara Pandian, India

Narcissus and Goldmund (Narziss und Goldmund)

It inspires me to be a better musician. It inspires me to be in contact with the divine. To live inspired./Vera Ann Stover, United States

Narcissus and Goldmund is not merely a fiction. It is a story in the form of dialectics with finest philosophies between two different personalities. Narcissus, a monk, a saintly person satisfied with the ascetic knowledge of pure form, and Goldmund, a wayfarer, jovial being trying to find the path of salvation and meaning of life through instinctual satisfactions and inquisitive penance at the same time. The book nicely set up the pedestal for those two characters and gradually delves in describing Goldmund’s character in the form of various subjects, like romantic thrillers, wayfaring adventures and natural debacles. The conversations between two protagonists and their self-realizations are nicely presented in the form of philosophical discourse. The story tries to narrate the commingling of ego and unconscious instincts and simultaneously lead a path to shows the symbol of finest subjective realization in a very practical and human way. The best part of the writing is, all metaphoric instances are given a stark visualization in such a simple and lucid way that the higher philosophical depth of the subject is justly experienced through the words. The heart of the book depends on the realizations of Goldmund : like, how he experiences the joy and sorrow in a fine silhouette of mental vision and reminds that again and again with the progress of life towards end, how the sensual happiness of instincts leads to the inner sorrows with time, how the invisible image speaks more clearly to the soul than the visible present while imagining his mother./Manoj, India

Just cause reading Mr. Hesse really delivers, these two characters are, in the same time, so human and not-human, they touched deeply my heart./Giulio, Italy

It is a beautiful story of friendship ... I have read it many times and it always makes me cry ... the main characters are representative of opposite character types ... the warm and worldly and the cool and cerebral ... and the lifelong bond between them is so tender .../Aurora, United States

Well, I already read dozens of books of Hesse, and I admit to be frustrating to comment just about one :) Narcissus and Goldmund is a book shocking, singular and consequently magnificent. The book bases on a true identity search. Each character just serves of support for Herman Hesse to transmit your true message: she cannot get anything without abdicating of that that is your opposite. Alive or dead, indigent or bourgeois, men or women: everything has your value and everything deserves to be longed for, but there is no space for remorse. (I lament for my terrible English)
/Nadja Sleiman Monteiro, Brazil

Peter Camenzind

It's my life. Fantastic./Jan, Hungary

Rosshalde

There is no doubt, the true winner of the Nobel Prize. One of the most insightful, exciting books I have ever read. All his work is an invaluable contribution to the global mind./Gregory Kspoyan, Russia

Siddhartha

It's a beautiful translation of Buddhism for the occidental world, what is a real complex considering the difference in interpretation of the world./Murilo Mattos, Brazil

I like the book because it is written in a great style. Siddhartha is a spiritual journey. This book will be loved by those who are interested with Indian culture and philosophy. I really liked the writing style very much and by reading this book I understand that why Hesse is a Nobel laureate!/10, India

Understanding of Indian Philosophy./Ilanchelian, India

Is shows a different perspective of the Indian world through introspective of the protagonist and how he achieves Nirvana and he becomes Buddha./Elena Del Rivero, Mexico

I loved the way it was written. It is so much depth into Hesse's writing. I love the spirituality, the story, the path that the main character took along his life. This book kept me intrigued until last sentence./Tatiana Morari, Moldova

A story told as a house holders life born in this world. Search for truth in a sublime manner, Fascinating way to guide Human Nature through Want, Greed, Sex, Money and final development of Nature .All sufferings are caused by Human Needs, more then what they need. A look within oneself finally as River flows. You cannot realise as flowing water in a stream what life as Ocean stands for. Just follow the dance of life .You reach and are the Ocean itself. It is a fantastic narration of a ideology of life rarely understood beyond the land travelled by THE BUDDHA./Debasia Bhattacharyya, India

It's simple English. It is a good book to read for anyone who is interested in Indian culture and philosophy./Vivek. B, India

I read it in a very important moment of my life, when I HAD to read it to comprehend that moment! The book taught me how to deal with up and downs of life and how to use it in my favor.
/Flavia Peres, Brazil

This book brought me to a new world, to discover different values, a new vision for life. With such simple words, how marvellous feelings and thoughts were expressed throughout these lines. It's not only a book about one single person or several characters, but a book about the authentic sense of Life and Fate in capitals. No doubt that this writer, and specially this book changed my mind at all. The most special, kind and unique book ever read for me./Juan Antonio Molina, Spain

'Siddhartha' unfolds the tribulations of an ascetic who tries to lead a puritan life, and very truly confesses that the Sansara equally and sometimes more viciously affects those who tread the path of salvation. A brilliant masterpiece by Hesse unfolds the deeper meanings of life with simplicity and honesty./Arvind, India

Profound simplicity and its ability to convey the meaning of life, infinite depth and richness in such a direct and effective manner. A very short masterpiece./Nikhil Gavankar, India

Simply written, thought provoking and makes a person adore fiction and leave everything else to read fiction./Erdem Tetik, United States

I have always loved stories from other cultures. I like the way he writes about Siddhartha and his life. I love oriental philosophy. Great writer!!!/Sara Soria Estrugo, Bolivia

This simple yet powerful western interpretation of the oriental philosophy is about the very basic human confusion; that is the domain of perfection as an objective. This essential confusion creates a vacuum that enables each of us to resonate to every possible action./Trinath Kar, India

It's an amazing book dealing with religious conflict & struggles, I felt that after I read Siddhartha's journey I could relate to his struggle to find a way to 'feel something' in the religions out there. It gave me great inspiration and insight, throughout his struggles I gained an understanding of the nature of religion. It is so well written and is a must-read to anyone!/Abbey, United States

This book is one that you can give to just about anyone. It's a timeless, universal tale written in an eloquence that contains many important truths about a religious historical figure: the Buddha. When I first read this book in high school - it was taught to me by an female African American teacher - I was put in a deep meditative trance about the morals in the book. Its humanistic point of view made me realize that Siddhartha lived in two worlds: the world of the spiritually disciplined Brahmin, and the material world of urban business. In between these two worlds is the river where he found the balance of the spiritual and the material and learned the importance of noble truths of suffering, charity, learning and teaching. He tried to teach this to his son but it can't be taught. One must learn for oneself this valuable wisdom that keeps humankind sensitive to human life. I suggest reading this book once and then years later after more life experience, because the simple wisdom of Hesse's tale keeps renewing itself in the reader's mind. Thank you for your patience and tolerence./Ruben Santos Claveria, United States

It is a beautiful commentary on the human mind and spirit and each of our quests for inner peace./Stephen Whitaker, United States

Changes the way you think./Jeff Irwin, United States

Steppenwolf (Der Steppenwolf)

This story about the inner world of a very lonely man helps to look into your inner world, no matter if you are lonely too or not. The autor is defininitely a genius./Maria, Russia

No comments, how wonderful a piece! A real MASTERpiece./Elina, Latvia

Strongest book ever read, so much intense thinking, so sincere, erotic, drama, happiness, everything is good in this book./David Lopez, Mexico

Because with this book, I started to understand about myself a little better, so do the life itself became, if not less complicated, at least more enjoyable. Because I start to see from different points of view after the reading of this book./Raphael Soares Calado, Brazil

I liked the surrealism that Hesse used in the story and combined it with the psychological theories of Carl Jung.I wrote a thesis about this and the cultural effect the book has had on modern culture (specifically the group with the same name and the theatre that produces experimental work)./James Larson, United States

Because is the battle of human condition./Andre Mendes, Brazil

An incredible journey through the psyche of man, Hesse manifests the duality of good and evil innately present within the soul./Samuel Markovic, Australia

Using a sharp language as needle, Hesse manages to pin down the elusive butterfly that is the core of man./Sapper, Sweden

I can't think of another novel I've read that I found so unnerving, frustrating, unsettling, hopeful, charming, and heartbreaking all at the same time. Parts so disturbed me that I didn't want to continue, but I felt compelled to. A product of its time that was also far ahead of its time, this novel is more daring in style and plot than most of the novels written today. After 'Steppenwolf' and 'Siddartha' I have to consider Hesse one of the novelists I respect most of all, in any language./Matthew Travisano, United States

Because he said what I felt ... I carried it with me for over 2 years in my bag./Anja, Austria

Opened up my mind to many many things./Pedro, Brazil

The novel is a very intellectual manifestation of the tribulations of a man, an artist in the post-world war 1 which has an universal appeal in itself representing the social & psychological disintegration of the time./Sayam Banerjee, India

The Glass Bead Game (Das Glasperlenspiel)

A profound and mystical vision of human being./Rafael Lima, Brazil

Hesse gives the human soul chance to live in such a secular world like West./Mahmoud Elmutasim, Sudan

To understand how we are functioning as a society, how we are working at one extreme and what the consequence might be of such extremes./Suyog Shrestha, United States